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The Venture Bros.
The Venture Bros. is an animated action-comedy series airing as part of Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. Airing at 12:00 a.m. e/p and 3:00 a.m. during Adult Swim's Sunday block, it chronicles the adventures of two teenage boys, their super-scientist father, and their secret-agent guardian. The show is known for its developed plots and dry sense of humor. J.G. Thirlwell of Foetus fame scores the show. The series is a spoof of the classic Hanna-Barbera action series Jonny Quest, with the Venture brothers taking the place of Jonny and Hadji. Dr. Venture is a caricature of Dr. Benton Quest, and Brock Samson is a testosterone-loaded, excessively-violent take on Race Bannon. It has been stated by the show's creators that the show also parodies Hardy Boys mysteries and comic super heroes. Oddly enough, one episode showed that Venture Bros. takes place in the same continuity as Jonny Quest. Show creator Jackson Publick (a pseudonym for Christopher McCulloch) was one of the main writers for the Saturday morning animated show The Tick; and Ben Edlund, creator of The Tick, has co-written one episode of Venture Bros. (Another Tick connection: Patrick Warburton, who played the Tick in the short-lived live-action series, provides the voice of Brock Samson.) The second season of the series is expected to air in early 2006. The considerable delay between the end of the first season and the start of the second was partially caused by Adult Swim's delay in deciding whether to renew the show. Characters The Venture family *'Hank Venture' (voiced by Christopher McCulloch): Teenage boy, one-half of the titular pairing. A mix between Jonny Quest and Fred of Scooby Doo fame. Tends to be more athletic than his brother. Always up for adventures and solving mysteries. Better at disguises than his brother, and can be rather naive. Prone to flights of fancy; Brock comments about him by saying, "it's like he channels dead crazy people." *'Dean Venture' (Voiced by Michael Sinterniklaas): Teenage boy. Timid and selfless. The Hardy Boy to Jonny's Hadji. Always keen for adventures, but tends to flee at the first sign of bodily harm. He faints when he stands up quickly and has a weak stomach. He is slightly more rational than Hank but still thinks badguys are toted away in sleeping bags, not body bags. Dr. Venture comments about him saying he's a bit "more effeminate" than his brother. *'Dr. Thaddeus S. "Rusty" Venture' (Voiced by James Urbaniak): Father of the Venture twins. A "super-scientist," like his deceased father, the famous Dr. Jonas Venture, from whom he inherited his company, Venture Industries. Despite some ability in the field of the nebulously defined "super-science," is considered a failure by several characters. Frequently swallows "diet pills" and despises being compared to his late father. Has archenemies in the form of The Monarch and Baron Underbheit. It has been revealed that he never finished his studies and is not technically a doctor at all. Tends to dislike his sons, it is unclear if he actually loves them. He often suffers from nightmares where he, in one way or another, does away with his twin brother while still in the womb. Lactates when under periods of extreme stress. *'Brock Samson' (Voiced by Patrick Warburton): Bodyguard of the Venture family and agent with the Office of Secret Intelligence. Has a Level Eight (8), Class A license to kill, and an amazing zeal and ability in using it. Prefers to kill with his saw-toothed Bowie knife rather than firearms (which he adamantly refuses to use), although he once used his Dodge Charger to slaughter wave after wave of Monarch Henchmen. Loyal to the Venture family, and now seems to serve as a bit of a mentor and surrogate father for the boys. *'H.E.L.P.eR.' (Voiced by Soul-Bot): The Venture family's personal helper robot. H.E.L.P.eR. is an acronym for Humanoid Electric Lab Partner Robot. Created by Dr. Jonas Venture to look after his son Rusty, and now assists Brock in looking after Dean and Hank. Capable, but emotionally unstable. *'Dr. Jonas Venture' (Voiced by Paul Boocock): Deceased father of Doctor Thaddeus Venture, and was one of the foremost scientists in the world. Created what is now known as Venture Industries and led the original Team Venture. His character is based on Doc Savage. Villains *'The Monarch' a.k.a. The Monarch Butterfly (Voiced by Chris McCulloch): Dr. Venture's nemesis, obsessed with Monarch butterflies, which raised him as a child. Longs to bring an end to Dr. Venture in as many ways as possible. Is evasive when asked why he seeks to harm Dr. Venture; it is implied that his only real reason is that he is Venture's self-proclaimed archenemy. Dr. Venture, in turn, barely seems to realize The Monarch exists most of the time. A former member of The Guild of Calamitous Intent, his base is a giant, flying cocoon. *'Monarch Henchmen' (Voiced by Christopher McCulloch and others): The incompetent henchmen of The Monarch. There are many of them, with different body compositions and voices. They're all referred to by number (except for two named "Speedy" and "Tiny Joseph"). Often killed by Brock Samson. Most are disposable, but two seem to have become recurring characters: "Number Twenty-One," an obese pop-culture geek with a Star Wars fixation, and his friend "Number Twenty-Four," a tall, thin, dim-witted one. The Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend have an almost parental relationship with the henchmen, though Monarch is known to kill some of them himself on occasion. *'Dr. Girlfriend' (Voiced by Doc Hammer): Sort of girlfriend to the Monarch. Previously worked for/loved the Phantom Limb, she bears a remarkable similarity to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. She has an unnaturally deep voice (the character is voiced by a man) which is also a parody of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' relatively low voice for a woman and her New England accent. Formerly known as Lady Au Pair and Queen Etherea. Arguably the brains behind the Monarch's operation. It was rumored that she is a transsexual. This had been dispelled as a red herring. It was later revealed in an interview that Brock Sampson cut her throat at one point when she was with The Phantom Limb. The Guild saw fit to save her as per the Limb's request. *'Baron Werner Underbheit' (Voiced by T. Ryder Smith): Ruler of Unterland, a militant dictatorship. Wears a prosthetic, metal jaw. Enemy of Doctor Venture, mostly due to unresolved differences from their college days together (it's Venture's fault he has a prosthetic jaw; as he says, "In my country, a lab-partnership is a sacred trust. One is always supposed to look out for one's lab-partner! Venture did not..."). Associated with The Guild of Calamitous Intent. Is a parody of Doctor Doom. *'Manservant' (Voiced by Chris McCulloch): Baron Underbheit's long-time personal servant. *'Underbheit Henchmen' (Voiced by Chris McCulloch): Henchmen to Baron Underbheit. They are far more disciplined than the henchmen of The Monarch, and they take pride in the fact that at the age of thirty-eight, they are executed. *'Phantom Limb' (Voiced by James Urbaniak): Villain with invisible arms and legs. Member of the Guild of Calamitous Intent. It is hinted that he and Dr. Girlfriend used to be a couple. *'Jonas Venture, Jr.' (Voiced by James Urbaniak): Dr. Venture's deformed twin, who was absorbed by Rusty in the womb. Has re-awakened and been freed from Rusty's body via surgery. Desperate to claim the life that was never his, and has the body of a baby, though one of his arms is a handless nub and his head appears to have matured to an adult appearance. Seems to have made peace with Dr. Venture as of the end of the first season. Friends/allies *'Doctor Byron Orpheus' (Voiced by Steven Rattazzi): An expert necromancer who rents a portion of the Venture Industries grounds and is friends with Dr. Venture. Unusually capable for a Venture associate. Has a bachelor's degree in Women's Studies, but claims a doctorate from a "higher authority." Seeks an archenemy of his own. Bears a resemblance to Doctor Strange with a voice similar to Vincent Price. *'Triana Orpheus' (Voiced by Lisa Hammer): Dr. Orpheus' Goth-punk daughter. Has hair dyed purple, and is fairly friendly with the Venture Boys. Possibly the most down-to-earth character on the show, despite her father's tendency to dramatize. Dean Venture has a crush on her, and she at least tolerates him. *'Colonel Bud Manstrong' (Voiced by Terrence Fleming): Colonel on the orbiting space station, Gargantua-1. *'Lt. Anna Baldavitch' (Voiced by Nina Hellman): Lieutenant under Col. Manstrong on Gargantua-1. Her face is never shown, and it is implied that she is catastrophically ugly, in stark contrast to her shapely body. *'Mr. Peter White' (Voiced by Chris McCulloch): A genius in his field and, more notably, an albino Caucasian. Works at Conjectural Technologies. Went to college with Venture and Underbheit where he hosted a new wave radio show called "The White Room". A new wave metrosexual, White is a genius in genetics and cybernetics. Details explained in an upcoming comic book due for a winter release. *'Master Billy Quizboy' (Voiced by Doc Hammer): A self-proclaimed boy genius. He is primarily known for his masterwork in the prosthesis field, but also excels at most other things. Works at Conjectural Technologies. Suffers from hydrocephalus. *'Colonel Horace Gentleman' (Voiced by Chris McCulloch): Retired member and head leader of the original Team Venture. Walks around with a cane and has a voice similar to Sean Connery. *'The Action Man' Rodney (Voiced by Chris McCulloch): Retired member of the original Team Venture. Primarily fights with handguns and sometimes his fists. He has constant bowel movements, which never seem to sway him. Married Major Tom's widow after Tom's tragic accident. *'Otto Aquarius' (Voiced by T. Ryder Smith): Retired member of the original Team Venture. Exiled son of Atlantis, he is half-human and half-Atlantean which provides him with a greatly extended life-span. Most recently, he has converted to the Jehovah's Witnesses. The only pacifist in the original Team Venture. *'Kano' (Unvoiced): Retired sumo-wrestler member of the original Team Venture. Master of the Martial Arts. Communicates by way of origami. *'Race Bannon' (Voiced by Chris McCulloch): Agent in the Office of Secret Intelligence. Seemingly killed recovering the Goliath Serum from King Cobra's Snake-Men. Implied that he is the same Race Bannon from Jonny Quest, as his dying words to Brock Samson are "Tell Jonny I love..." Others *'Roy Brisby' (Voiced by Chris McCulloch): Manager/CEO of Brisbyland. Crippled in an accident that occurred during the construction of Brisbyland and now confined to a wheelchair. Wishes for Dr. Venture to clone him a new body. Parody of Walt Disney. *'Professor Richard Impossible' (Voiced by Stephen Colbert): Former Professor to Dr. Venture, Mr. White, and Billy Quizboy and founder of Impossible Industries, a major government contractor. A parody of Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, an experiment with cosmic radiation gave him the ability to stretch his body like rubber, while his wife Sally, her brother Cody, and their mentally handicapped cousin, Ned, were freakishly transformed. *'Mandalay' (Voiced by Charles Stewart Parnell): Roy Brisby's large bodyguard. *'Molotov Cocktease' (Voiced by Mia Barron): Brock Samson's love interest. A Russian agent and a knife lover, like Brock. Unfortunately for Brock Samson, she wears a chastity belt. *'Major Tom' (Voiced by James Urbaniak): A test pilot for the late Dr. Jonas Venture. Died while testing a flying saucer in the Bermuda Triangle. *'Steve Summers' (Voiced by Chris McCulloch): A former astronaut. After a near-fatal accident, he underwent a six-million-dollar procedure to turn him into a bionic man. Currently fleeing the military, who expected him to work off the six million dollars spend reconstructing his body. *'Sasquatch' (Voiced by Chris McCulloch): A.K.A. Bigfoot. Steve Summers' life partner who gave him a new hope to never go through government missions ever again. *'Tiny Attorney' (Voiced by Chris McCulloch): A southern gentlemen prosecutor during the Monarch's trial and #3 on The Guild of Calamitous Intent's Most Wanted List. Actually a little person growing from the body of "an inbred simpleton". Abducted during the trial by the Guild's Strangers, led by the Phantom Limb. A spoof of Kuato from the movie 'Total Recall.' Episodes 1-00: Pilot -- The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay (Written by: Jackson Publick) - Dr. Venture goes to New York to show off his latest invention at a United Nations symposium. Meanwhile, his two sons decide to have an "adventure" in the Big Apple, while Brock goes off for some R&R. A ninja seems to have an altogether unhealthy interest in Dr. Venture's newest gadget... (Note: the pilot shows the characters in a rather different light, and is currently not scheduled as part of the show's run.) 1-01: Dia de los Dangerous! (Written by: Jackson Publick) - The Venture family travels to Tijuana for a lecture given by Dr. Venture (who also meets up with a Doctor Ernesto Guevara) at the University of Mexico. The Monarch also travels to Mexico to find his long lost adoptive parents (Monarch butterflies). When The Monarch discovers the Ventures in Mexico, he wreaks havoc on them that leaves the brothers trapped in the Monarch's clutches, Dr. Venture without his kidneys and Brock...dead? 1-02: Careers in Science (Written by: Doc Hammer) - After a brief introduction to 'Gargantua 1', a space station built by Jonas Venture with his son, the Ventures travel to the station to repair an unknown 'problem' (indicated by a red 'problem' light). The boys are told stories of a phantom by Bud Manstrong, while Venture sets out to fix whatever the problem is. H.E.L.P.eR. is accidentally knocked into a laundry chute and covered in rags, and beaten by the boys (thinking he is the phantom). Brock is briefly sucked out of the station through an airlock, but quickly recovers to make the moves on the only other occupant of the space station, Anna Baldavitch (whose face is never seen, but is apparently very ugly). Manstrong is infuriated by Brock's interest in Anna, even though he has made no advances towards her during the six years on the station. Brock and Manstrong attempt to assist Dr. Venture in his repairs, but Brock nearly beats Manstrong to death after a mere touch infuriates him. Since setting foot on the station, Dr. Venture has been haunted by feelings of inadequacy and hallucinations of his father. After arguing with the memory of his father, insisting that the problem wasn't HIS fault, Dr. Venture finds that one of his old cowboy figures from decades ago had melted in the wiring; he actually had caused the problem! Manstrong is stranded outside the station, unable to feel the right side of his body, while Baldavitch toys with him, while the boys and Brock reunite with Dr. Venture. As "Team Venture" leaves the space station, Venture's discarded spacesuit begins to drip urine onto the controls, causing the problem light to light up again... 1-03: Home Insecurity (Written by: Jackson Publick) - As Brock leaves for his sabbatical in the woods, Dr. Venture invents a robot named G.U.A.R.D.O. and builds a panic room that will protect the family in Brock's absence. The robot is completed, but Venture falls asleep before loading the "friendly" file software. When teams of henchmen from both The Monarch and Baron Underbheit attack simultaneously, the Ventures are trapped in the panic room and G.U.A.R.D.O. can not distinguish them from the villains. While the Monarch's henchmen bicker with Underbheit's henchmen over who gets dibs on Venture's defeat (which later turns into a conversation, then vandalism of the Venture Compound), Monarch and Underbheit try to come to an agreement. Meanwhile, Brock befriends a bionic man and Sasquatch. H.E.L.P.eR. runs away in a fit of jealousy upon discovering Dr. Venture's plans for the G.U.A.R.D.O. robot. 1-04: The Incredible Mr. Brisby (Written by: Jackson Publick) - Theme-park mogul Roy Brisby attempts to enlist Dr. Venture's help in cloning a new body; Brisby is wheelchair-bound after suffering a stroke during a ride that went awry. Venture refuses, and is bagged by Brisby's "com-panda", Li-Li ("won from David Bowie in a trivia contest"), while Brock falls prey to a drugged cigarette. The boys, meanwhile, are kidnapped and brainswashed by the Orange County Liberation Front, who wishes to destroy Brisby's empire and reclaim the county's small-town charm. Brock wakes up to find himself under the care of his old flame Molotov Cocktease, and after a brief and... exciting... reunion, the two head to Brisbyland. Inside the giant "beehive" in the center of the theme park, Brisby drugs Venture to force him to reveal his knowledge of cloning; due to his steady consumption of diet pills, however, Venture only emits a stream of nonsense. The OCLF attacks the beehive at the same time that Brock and Molotov arrive. Venture and the boys are saved by Brock amidst the chaos, and Brisby, who is attempting to escape with Li-Li, finds Cocktease blocking his escape. Cocktease reveals that she was hired by Bowie to return the panda. 1-05: Eeney, Meeney, Miney... Magic! (Written by: Doc Hammer) - Dr. Venture's latest invention has the family interested, not to mention trapped! Their new neighbor, the strange Dr. Orpheus, may be the only one who can help them escape. Meanwhile, Dean falls for Orpheus's daughter while Brock falls for his old flame, Molotov Cocktease. 1-06: Ghosts of the Sargasso (Written by: Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick) - Doctor Venture, short on money, searches for a flying saucer lost underwater in the Bermuda Triangle; his father had created the craft, but didn't patent it because a test pilot (Major Tom) died during a preliminary flight. The opening shot of the show quotes David Bowie's songs Space Oddity and Ashes to Ashes nearly verbatim. Dr. Venture's disrespect for the dead raises Major Tom from the dead to haunt the Venture's ship, the X-2, which has already been beset by pirates. 1-07: Ice Station Impossible (Written by: Jackson Publick) - Doctor Venture, Mr. White, and Master Billy are employed in a "think tank" run by Professor Impossible. The Professor also heads Impossible Industries, a research facility often used by the government to solve "impossible" problems. Meanwhile, government agent Race Bannon tries to steal an illegal serum from a terrorist group while on an airplane; the serum accidentally gets knocked out of his hands, out of the plane, and onto Hank Venture on the ground below. The serum, known as the Goliath Serum, was made by Richard Impossible during the Vietnam War; it leaves Hank with less than a day before he becomes a human bomb. It is up to the new "think tank" at Impossible Industries to help save him. This episode specifically parodies the Fantastic Four, as the powers developed by Prof. Impossible, his wife, her waste-head brother, and her "retard cousin" mirror (in a darkly satirical way) the powers of the Fantastic Four. The Professor can stretch his body, his wife has the power to turn her skin invisible, her brother bursts into flames whenever exposed to oxygen, and her cousin has become "a human scab." After Venture cheats to pass a urinalysis test with the help of Sally Impossible, who shows romantic interest in him, the Professor strands Venture in the Antarctic wastes. Brock and the boys find Venture while on the way to seek Impossible Industries' antidote to the Goliath serum. 1-08: Mid-Life Chrysalis (Written by: Jackson Publick & Doc Hammer) - The Monarch sends Dr. Girlfriend undercover in order to seduce Dr. Venture and inject him with a serum that turns him into a caterpillar¹. Meanwhile, Brock becomes depressed over the expiration of his license to kill, but the brothers help him cram for his government exam. Dr. Venture would later ask H.E.L.P.eR. to kill him, giving a reference to the movie The Fly. Despite using very unorthodox methods during the exam, Brock has his license renewed. Dr. Girlfriend finds that she regrets what she's done to Venture and injects him with an antidote. ¹: (Dr. Venture's transformation into a caterpillar seems to mirror that of Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis", in which the main character, Gregor Samsa, also turns into a similar creature. This is also implied by Dr. Venture's claim that "what you are about to see is a nightmare inexplicably torn from the pages of Kafka!") 1-09: Are You There God? It's Me, Dean (Written by: Doc Hammer) - As The Monarch tortures the Venture family above the Amazon River, Dean Venture suddenly comes down with a slight case of acute testicular torsion. According to an addendum to Article 47 of The Unusual Torture Act (a.k.a. "Rusty's Law") created by The Guild of Calamitous Intent in 1969, The Monarch has to let them go for two days or until Dean is fully cured. The Monarch keeps Brock Samson and Hank Venture as collateral until then. Master Billy and Dr. White are hired to heal Dean. Meanwhile, Brock helps The Monarch celebrate his birthday by overtaking his Lair. 1-10: Tag Sale, You're It! (Written by: Doc Hammer) - Once again short on money, Dr. Venture unloads some of his father's inventions in a yard sale that attracts scientists and villains alike. Meanwhile, the Monarch tries to resist the temptation of wreaking havoc while inside "the belly of the beast". 1-11: Past Tense (Written by: Jackson Publick) - Venture attends a funeral for a former college buddy, Mike Sorayama. During the service, Dr. Venture, Brock Samson, Baron Underbheit and Mr. White are gassed and transported in Mike's coffin. The Venture brothers ask the original Team Venture to help them find their father and bodyguard. Strangely enough, the kidnapper appears to be Mike Sorayama, who then proceeds to recount past events from college to each of the four, events that fueled the kidnapping. The original Team Venture find the lair and beat up Sorayama's helper robots, "Lesliebots" who look like Sorayama's one love, Leslie Cohen. Brock escapes from the chamber and beats up the original Team Venture, who had disguised themselves as Lesliebots. Finally, the kidnapper Mike Sorayama is revealed to be a robot made by the "real" Mike Sorayama, who is dead. 1-12: Trial of the Monarch (Written by: Doc Hammer) - One of The Monarch's henchmen writes a biography of The Monarch, titled "The Flight of the Monarch". The Monarch discovers the book, kills the author, and starts an argument with Dr. Girlfriend about her photos in the book with other men (Monstroso, Jim Foetus, and Phantom Limb). In a state of furor, he calls her a whore and throws her out of his cocoon lair and his life. She winds up at The Phantom Limb's house after walking around in the rain. When the Monarch comes searching for Dr. Girlfriend, The Phantom Limb frames The Monarch for a crime he did not commit and calls the police (who are in the Guild's pocket). During the trial, mind-reading Dr. Orpheus finds out that The Monarch is innocent. But before Orpheus reveals the truth, The Phantom Limb orders members of The Guild to freeze everyone in the courtroom and put a "level three memory wipe" on them. The real plan of the Phantom Limb and the Guild is revealed when Guild operatives capture the prosecutor, Tiny Attorney (who is a parody of Total Recall's mutant leader Kuato). Once everyone is unfrozen and Dr. Orpheus mentally swayed, he declares The Monarch guilty. Orpheus's words ring so loudly that the court finds The Monarch guilty, too. 1-13: Return to Spider-Skull Island (Written by: Jackson Publick & Doc Hammer) - Dr. Venture's recurring womb nightmares turn out to be something far more sinister--he has a twin brother who was engulfed by him when both were fetuses, and, having been taken out during surgery, wants vengeance! Jonas Jr. outfits himself in a robot body, knocks Brock out and ties him to his car, leaving him free to hunt down Dr. Venture. Meanwhile, Hank and Dean run off over their mistaken belief that their father is pregnant and are taken into the Monarch's 'scared straight' program for wannabe super-villains. Dr. Orpheus tails them, attempting to keep them out of trouble. The Monarch talks the boys into going back to their old life. Brock, meanwhile, has H.E.L.P.eR. drive the car over to Dr. Venture, who finally seems to be getting his from Jonas Jr. (who claims the Venture empire is rightfully his). The car smashes into Jonas Jr. and knocks him out of his body, revealing he has the body of an infant. Dr. Venture keeps Brock from killing his twin and the two basically agree to negotiate a truce. Dr. Orpheus conveniently comes by at that point, telling of what happened to the boys. Soon all seems well, as Brock, Jonas Jr., Dr. Orpheus, and Dr. Venture trail behind the boys in their hoverbikes. The Monarch's two henchmen meanwhile come by and ask if they can find both a hair parlor and ammo for a gun, but the fat henchman, showing off the gun, accidentally shoots Hank and Dean and kills them¹. This is the series' first season finale. ¹: (This is a spoof of the shocking ending of the movie Easy Rider wherein the two young protagonists are shot off their choppers by two rednecks in a pickup truck.) Special: A Very Venture Christmas (Written by: Christopher McCulloch) - A Christmas Special in which Dr. Venture throws a party for many of his friends (mostly all of the characters from previous episodes, such as the Original Team Venture, Steve Sommers and Sasquatch, etc.), but the party goes awry when Dean and Hank accidentally release Krampus from Dr. Orpheus's spell book. Chaos and abuse (mostly toward Dr. Venture) ensue. Meanwhile, The Monarch has hatched yet another plan to kill Dr. Venture, this time, involving a nativity scene booby-trapped with C4 explosive. The events in this episode take place after "Ice Station Impossible" but before "The Trial of the Monarch". Home releases Warner Home Video and Adult Swim may release the first season on DVD by either fall 2005 or early 2006, to coincide with the premiere of the second season (like most Adult Swim DVDs do). External links * The Official Venture Brothers Website * Jackson Publick's Venture Bros. Livejournal * Adult Swim - Venture Bros. Website * Scrotal Safety Commission(A Satirical Site on Testicular Torsion created by the show's creators) Category:Animated television series